Reykjanes Peninsula
The Reykjanes Peninsula is the first sight that greets most visitors to Iceland when they arrive at Keflavik International Airport. Its scenery is diverse with many natural features such as geothermal heat, lava, volcanic craters, hot springs, bird cliffs, sandy beaches and, of course, the unforgettable Blue Lagoon which has become one of the most popular tourist spots in the country.
The first lighthouse in Iceland was built here in 1878. The Leif the Lucky Bridge spans the Álfagjá rift valley (18 metres wide and 6 metres deep) near Grindavik that marks the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates. It was built in 2002 and named in honour of the Icelandic explorer, Leif Eriksson who travelled from Europe to America 500 years before Columbus.
